Review (Part 2)

The somewhat balding wizard slowly spoke, his voice carrying a trace of profundity:

"I also examined his fate... It was extremely clean. Within the traceable span of time, there were no signs of contact with any unknown powerful existence."

Hearing this, the other wizards could not help casting envious looks his way.

Both time-based and fate-based wizardry were exceptionally complex. These were examinations that only a Level 6 Wizard or above could perform, more thorough and harder to disguise than the previous two tests.

Even though everyone present was a genius capable of advancing to Level 5 Wizard, there were still differences between geniuses.

Clearly, this balding wizard possessed the greatest talent among them.

"What about the Dean?" A voice raised the final crucial question.

After the previous rounds of review, Benjamin's situation could theoretically already be confirmed. But to be safe, the highest level of verification was still required.

And this so-called highest-level confirmation often required touching upon the Plane Origin.

Only the Dean, who truly controlled the entire plane, could accomplish that.

From the void came an emotionless message transmitted directly through powerful spiritual force, answering the question:

[Plane Origin data checked. No traces of invasion by external higher lifeforms or higher energy within the past century.]

Hearing this highest-level confirmation, the wizards present all nodded.

The balding wizard immediately reached a conclusion. "Then it can basically be confirmed that this apprentice is neither a spy from another civilization nor a pawn remotely controlled by some unknown powerful existence. Unless the existence he came into contact with exceeds a Level 9 Wizard..."

At that, the balding wizard showed no reaction, but several of the other wizards could not help laughing.

Level 9 Wizards were legendary beings—the chairmen who ruled the entire Wizard Civilization, powers standing at the pinnacle of countless planes.

For certain reasons, theoretically speaking, the power of a Level 9 Wizard was infinite.

If there truly were a powerful existence beyond such comprehension willing to lower itself to manipulate an apprentice, then even if they discovered some trace of it, they would have to pretend not to see it. They might even have to indulge the other party's perverse amusement and play house along with them.

But unfortunately, according to current theory, it was almost impossible for any existence to surpass a Level 9 Wizard.

So Benjamin could basically be deemed neither a spy nor a traitor.

However, just then, a voice shattered that relatively calm conclusion.

"I heard the nature of this material is very unusual. It even alerted the wizards over at the Crimson Court, and they want to spend a vast amount of resources to buy it..."

Though he did not say it outright, the barely restrained greed in his tone already revealed the speaker's thoughts.

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the secret chamber froze.

Mentor Clark—the wizard whose back looked somewhat bald—slowly turned around.

Though his face remained hidden in shadow, his gaze pierced through his robes like two icy swords, stabbing toward the wizard who had spoken.

His voice was no longer a low question, but carried undisguised mockery.

"You want to forcibly seize the knowledge of a wizard who is neither a spy nor a traitor?"

He spoke slowly, every word striking the ground like a block of ice. "You want to openly violate the covenant established by the Star Track Tribunal? If you are not afraid of being targeted by the nine chairmen's [Dimensional Reduction Judgment], then... be my guest."

The wizard who had made the suggestion stiffened, as though a basin of cold water had been poured over him, instantly extinguishing his enthusiasm.

The Star Track Tribunal was a supreme supervisory body composed of nine Level 9 Wizards.

Legend had it that they possessed terrifying authority capable of altering reality. Combined with the infinite power represented by Level 9 Wizards themselves, they were the true rulers of the entire Wizard Civilization.

Beyond balancing the various factions within Wizard Civilization, the Tribunal's more important purpose was to protect wizards' right to possess and study their own knowledge.

Because, in the eyes of the Level 9 Wizards of the Tribunal, both Level 8 Wizards and Wizard Apprentices were ants they could crush with one hand, they were instead able to conduct the fairest supervision.

It was precisely because of the Tribunal's existence that high-ranking wizards could not casually strip lower-ranking wizards of their research results or forcibly obtain their core knowledge.

Such fair oversight was the foundation that allowed new knowledge to continuously emerge in the Wizard World and kept it full of vitality.

It was also the fundamental reason the entire Wizard World could continue advancing, even waging war across the myriad planes.

Many of the wizards present had themselves enjoyed the protection of the Tribunal's covenant during their apprentice years or lower-level stages. They understood well the consequences of touching this red line.

A voice broke the silence with obvious ridicule. "Don't make it sound like you discovered some earth-shattering secret. That material is indeed somewhat special, but it is only at the level of a Level 5 material, right? It merely has high corrosion resistance. Its physical and energy resistance are both so poor."

Then his tone shifted, carrying a trace of pride that only fellow practitioners could understand. "Which one of us here wasn't a genius back then? What does producing a Level 5 material amount to? Besides, doesn't our Noren Academy have a super genius who produced a Level 6 material during his apprenticeship?"

As soon as those words were spoken, every wizard involuntarily turned in unison toward Mentor Clark, whose back looked somewhat bald. Their eyes held a complicated mixture of reverence, curiosity, and a trace of concealed wariness.

Mentor Clark appeared quite indifferent under those gazes. The face hidden in shadow remained expressionless.

He looked at Benjamin's image in the light screen, and his tone returned to its initial calmness and objectivity.

"Since it has been confirmed that this apprentice is a genius, and his ability to handle crises is also satisfactory—capable of making calm judgments and acting decisively—he has demonstrated potential worthy of cultivation."

His tone paused. "Therefore, I propose activating the Level Two Training Agreement for this apprentice."

The Level Two Training Agreement meant that the Academy would invest more resources, provide better mentor guidance, a superior cultivation environment, and priority resource allocation in order to accelerate his growth.

The other wizards had no objections.

The threat had been eliminated, the benefits could not be forcibly seized, and what remained was a genius worth investing in.

From the start, the reason they had gathered here had never been some inexplicable material. It was merely to determine whether this person was worth investing in.

A silent vote took place among the wizards.

The result came quickly. The proposal passed by an overwhelming margin. Even the wizard who had previously coveted Benjamin's achievement voted in favor.

"Agreement activated. Notify the relevant departments and mobilize the resources," Mentor Clark announced at last.

The light screen slowly went dark. The secret chamber fell into darkness, and the wizards' figures gradually faded away.

(Extra chapter—please vote with monthly tickets and keep reading!)